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Wearable devices might be the next big thing in consumer electronics. But it’s still not clear how they’ll work, what they’ll look like or even what they’ll do.

One potential “killer app” for the devices is monitoring health and fitness. A growing number of companies have developed wearable “activity trackers” that can track things such as steps taken and distance walked.

Among the early activity trackers is Pulse O2 from France-based Withings. Released this spring, Pulse O2 is something like a souped-up pedometer. About the size of a USB drive, it can measure steps and monitor pulse rate with a sensor in its back.

The Pulse O2 comes with a wristband that allows users to wear it as a watch. And it ships with the ability to read users’ blood oxygen level.

The device offers fitness fanatics a nice range of information. It displays how many steps you’ve taken, how far you’ve gone, how many calories you’ve burned and total changes in elevation.

By swiping across the screen, you can view each one of those data points from your previous days’ activities. You can see even more detailed information in the Pulse O2’s accompanying smartphone apps.

The Pulse O2 also will keep track of your sleep cycles, if you wear it and manually start the sleep-tracking mode each night.

One of the advantages of the Pulse O2 over similar fitness devices is that it is designed to be flexible in how it’s worn. It’s a small, rounded rectangular piece that can be fitted not only into a wristband, but also affixed to your belt or clothes with an included case that has a clip on the back. You can also easily slip the device, without case, into your pocket. It’s so light — less than a third of an ounce — that you won’t even notice it.

Unlike some other wearable devices I’ve tested, the Pulse O2 offers extra-long battery life. Even though it was only partially charged when I started wearing it, I used it for four days without needing to recharge it. Withings says it will go two weeks on a full charge, and that you need to plug it in for only an hour to replenish its battery.

Unfortunately, the Pulse O2, like many of the early wearable products, has plenty of drawbacks. Its screen turns on only when you press its wake button. That’s OK if the device is in your pocket or clipped to your belt. It’s not so great if you are wearing it like a watch.

Another way it conserves energy is by having a dim, low-resolution, monochrome screen that’s impossible to read in bright outdoor light.

Making a device that’s targeted at fitness buffs is probably a smart way to break into the wearable market.

But if the Pulse O2 is any indication, such devices still need a lot of refining before they’re ready to gain mass appeal.

Troy Wolverton is a technology columnist for the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.